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Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context

Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources

The Czech Republic is an important water divide between basins of three large European rivers
(Elbe, Oder and Danube) flowing to three different seas (North, Baltic Sea and Black Sea). The country has 15.3 thousand km of water streams which are categorised as significant for water
management. The water resources of the country are mainly recharged by atmospheric precipitation (the long-term annual average is 693 mm) and are therefore regarded as relatively uncertain. Exploitable resources make 30 to 50% of the total resources. The annual precipitation moderately exceeds the annual evapotranspiration (the long-term annual average is 500 mm). The averal annual inflow of water from other countries is only 9 mm while the average annual outflow to other countries is 203 mm.

Water Pollution

Due to the highly developed industry and agriculture in the Czech part of the Morava River basin, rivers in the region serve as recipients of both urban and industrial waste water effluents. They also transport diffuse pollution loads, containing organic matters and nutrients originating chiefly in agriculture. Together with low flows in rivers, this poses higher requirements on the quality of discharged waste water, and the whole basin has been declared as a sensitive area.

In the Czech part of the Danube River Basin there are about 1,800 municipalities and approximately 79% of inhabitants are connected to wastewater treatment plants. Agriculture is the biggest source of nutrients and contributes more than 65% of the total load of nitrogen emissions into surface waters. Agriculture also contributes 30% of the total rate for phosphorus. Several important measures have been implemented to improve the situation: rehabilitating watercourses, increasing protection of existing waters and wetlands and ending unfavourable agricultural practices. [1]

On an average, the reliable sources of surface water amount to 4796 million m3/year while the
exploitable groundwater sources can give 1339 m3/year. After the increase of prices and the
restructuring of industrial and agricultural production between 1990 and 1997 there was a
significant decrease of water consumption. The specific water consumption of households is now
by about 10% below, the average of EU. It follows from it that the water consumption in agriculture (including irrigation)only represents about 1% of the total water consumption.

Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment

Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination

Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation

The Government of Albania has begun the preparation of a National Water Strategy (with funding by the EU) to set out polices on the efficient management and protection of water resources, and to specify an appropriate legal framework for the management of water resources. However, the lack of adequate monitoring systems, the rapid changes in economic activities, and the continuous movements in population make it difficult to assess the use of water resources. Available data suggests that irrigation and mining rely mostly on surface water, while households and industry on groundwater from aquifers. Domestic water demand is increasing not only because of population growth but also because of the increase in the level of water losses, estimated to be greater than 50 percent in all cities.